Delayed discharges show social care “beyond boiling point”

Responding to new figures showing that in 2022/23 around 1 in 9 bed days were occupied by people whose discharge was delayed, with the annual number of days lost to delayed discharge now at a record high, Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:  

“SNP neglect has pushed our health and social care system beyond boiling point.  

“There are gaps everywhere. People waiting for a care home place or to return home are in limbo because they can’t get the care they need in the community.  

“Patients and staff cannot wait years for the wrong solution in the form of a ministerial takeover of social care.  

“Scottish Liberal Democrats want to see this billion-pound bureaucracy scrapped and for that money to be spent on staff and services instead.”